$925.00

The SparkFun Inventor's Kit Lab Pack v4.0 includes 10 complete Inventor's Kits, an SIK Refill Pack and 50 AA-sized batteries to get your students started in the world of electronics. The SIKs inside the Lab Pack have everything you need, including RedBoards, baseplates, breadboards and full-color, spiral-bound guidebooks containing step-by-step instructions with circuit diagrams and hookup tables. Each SIK comes in a handy carrying case and includes all the electronics components you need to complete five overarching projects consisting of 16 interconnected circuits that teach everything from blinking an LED to reading sensors. The culminating project is students' very own autonomous robot!

SparkFun packages everything educators need to get started with this platform in a variety of classroom and makerspace settings with diverse student populations. The hardware boards, cables and extra parts come pre-packaged, and our online support materials — including an online experiment guide — help you bring the power of the open source community to your classroom. Examples and curriculum materials are available from SparkFun and Arduino, as well as from other educators involved in this growing maker movement.

The Arduino programming environment is a free download, making getting started as simple as opening your kits, opening a programming window on your computer and loading example code to the microcontroller. Arduino is a model for the open source movement. All the basics in this C-based language are laid out in simple examples that students, teachers and parents can understand and work with right from the start by accessing the example files in the programming environment. The community support offered by Arduino is second to none. Hundreds of examples of code are available for free online, and wiring examples for hardware are easy to find. The Arduino hardware and software are C-based, and because of this they are easy to link to internet-based applications and common programs such as Excel, MATLAB, LabView and even POP3 mail applications. Also, Arduino has a free companion language, Processing, which gives users the ability to create very friendly interfaces that can graph, create gaming options and do a dizzying amount of data visualization.

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Core Skill: Soldering

This skill defines how difficult the soldering is on a particular product. It might be a couple simple solder joints, or require special reflow tools.

1Soldering

Skill Level: Noob - Some basic soldering is required, but it is limited to a just a few pins, basic through-hole soldering, and couple (if any) polarized components. A basic soldering iron is all you should need.
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Core Skill: Robotics

This skill concerns mechanical and robotics knowledge. You may need to know how mechanical parts interact, how motors work, or how to use motor drivers and controllers.

1Robotics

Skill Level: Noob - You will be required to put together a robotics kit. Necessary parts are included and steps will be easy to follow. You also might encounter basic robotics components like bearings, mounts, or other hardware and need a general idea of how it goes together.
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Core Skill: DIY

Whether it's for assembling a kit, hacking an enclosure, or creating your own parts; the DIY skill is all about knowing how to use tools and the techniques associated with them.

1DIY

Skill Level: Noob - Basic assembly is required. You may need to provide your own basic tools like a screwdriver, hammer or scissors. Power tools or custom parts are not required. Instructions will be included and easy to follow. Sewing may be required, but only with included patterns.
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Core Skill: Programming

If a board needs code or communicates somehow, you're going to need to know how to program or interface with it. The programming skill is all about communication and code.

2Programming

Skill Level: Rookie - You will need a better fundamental understand of what code is, and how it works. You will be using beginner-level software and development tools like Arduino. You will be dealing directly with code, but numerous examples and libraries are available. Sensors or shields will communicate with serial or TTL.
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Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping

If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.

2Electrical Prototyping

Skill Level: Rookie - You may be required to know a bit more about the component, such as orientation, or how to hook it up, in addition to power requirements. You will need to understand polarized components.
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Customer Reviews

5 out of 5

Great teaching tool

This is an easy to use kit to teach circuits and electronics to students at a high school age. The instruction book that is included explains the circuits and the components to the students very well. Very little outside knowledge is needed to guide students through this lab kit. It also gets the students excited to try and challenge themselves to build more complex circuits and projects.

In 2003, CU student Nate Seidle fried a power supply in his dorm room and, in lieu of a way to order easy replacements, decided to start his own company. Since then, SparkFun has been committed to sustainably helping our world achieve electronics literacy from our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.

No matter your vision, SparkFun's products and resources are designed to make the world of electronics more accessible. In addition to over 2,000 open source components and widgets, SparkFun offers curriculum, training and online tutorials designed to help demystify the wonderful world of embedded electronics. We're here to help you start something.